Section 6's Spore Problem (WIP Preview)

WARNING THE FULL STORY WILL CONTAIN: Miyabi and Yanagi (ZZZ) Weight Gain

An encounter with a strange, flower-like Ethereal leads to Miyabi and Yanagi breathing in a plume of strange spores. Following the mission, an unnatural hunger takes over the women, gradually turning them into immobile blobs more suited to being office cushions rather than operatives.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

            An uncomfortable calm filled the meeting room as the members of Section 6 gathered to go over the latest mission briefing. Coming in late when his usual excuses wouldn’t apply, Harumasa had missed out on a majority of the rumors that had begun to swirl though the office. Though Soukaku had been a part of the mission herself, the young, blue-skinned oni was more preoccupied with digging into her bag of candy. This left the actual debriefing down to the agents how had unfortunately become a key focus of the investigation.

            Trying to keep up a semblance of their routine, Chief Yanagi adjusted her glasses as she pulled up the video feed from the previous day. On the monitor, the group watched as the tip of her long ponytail of pink hair just barely reached past the edge of her black skirt. With a swing of her naginata, she ruffled the fabric of her white dress shirt and the black bow on her chest. Though it seemed similar to the woman present in the office, there was one stark difference.

            As the footage continued to play, Yanagi set her eyes on the strange Ethereal that was thought to be the cause of the Companion Hollow. Even without the video on screen, the image of creature’s flower-like body had been the main reason they had been sent out for it. Having participated in countless operations to push back Nineveh, the possibility of a second one appearing was cause enough for Section 6 to send out their best to cut it off before it became a problem.

            With a flicker of its vines, the Ethereal tried to swat Yanagi away. Parrying the blow, she closed in with her blade intending to deliver a swift and decisive strike. Using its petals as a makeshift shield, the creature managed to block the attack. The momentary pause that Yanagi took to keep her balance from the counter appeared to be her downfall as another vine reached out to grab her by her heels.

            Forced to drop her weapon as she was hoisted into the air, Yanagi could only watch as the Ethereal pulled her towards its maw. As she got closer to the creature, she was given an up close look at the singular, black and white eye that stared back at her. In the reflection of the person-sized iris, she spotted a glimmer of blue light. A moment later, the tendril holding her in place was sliced in half.

            Nimbly rolling across the ground, Yanagi could only spot flashes of the blade slashing through the Ethereal’s limbs. Once all of the vines had been severed, the finishing blow came in the form of a young woman with black, fox ears plunging her sword into the creature’s eye. Retrieving her blade, Miyabi started the process of sheathing her sword. However impressive it was to watch the fox Thiren’s blue cloak, black skirt, and long, black hair wave as the attack left its mark, it came moments before disaster struck.

            With its final grasp on life, the creature spurted out a cloud of green dust. The surprise attack ended up engulfing the two agents. Running away from the miasma, the two looked over their bodies in an effort to see if there had been any lasting damage. At the time, they had assumed that the after effects would be nothing more than typical ether corruption that could be counteracted with some sedatives. It was only several hours later that they would realize the severity of the situation.

           Ending the video playback, Yanagi adjusted her glasses and turned towards Harumasa and Soukaku. In turn, they tried to hide the way their gazes drifted toward her and Miyabi’s mid-sections. The glances were something that had become all too common ever since Miyabi and Yanagi had developed their protruding potbellies.

           “The researchers have been studying the footage along with any remains we were able to retrieve from the operation,” Yanagi said, hoping to keep the meeting on track even as her gut strained against her shirt. “Our hope is that they are able to find a way to reverse the effects of the spores.”

           “In the meantime,” Miyabi began, trying and failing to cover up her belly bulge with her coat. “The two of us will continue to participate in our usual operations.”

           “Is that really wise?” Harumasa asked. “Fighting in the Hollows is already dangerous enough as it is. Can’t we just take a break until you can lose the extra weight?”

           “We cannot sit idly by wild evil continues unhindered,” Miyabi replied, her stoic face doing little to help with the jiggling of her gut. “Yanagi and I are still more than capable of defending ourselves. Mark my words, we will still be able to do our duties as-“

           A growl echoed through the room to interrupt Miyabi and bring a red tint to her cheeks. Moments later, a second rumbling noise emanated from Yanagi’s stomach. Thought the bespectacled woman tried to hold onto her dignity, she found it hard to fight against the hunger pangs that had started to affect them ever since the incident. While the two agents rubbed at their pudgy mid-sections in the hopes of calming them down, Soukaku got up from her seat and rushed towards them.

           “Here, take these,” the oni said, offering up an armful of snacks. “You must be pretty hungry.”

           “Um, thank you, Soukaku,” Yanagi replied, putting on a smile for the girl as she and Miyabi graciously accepted the food. “We’ll come up with a plan of attack in the morning,” she said between bites. “For now, we’ll rest and recuperate. Something as small as spores won’t be enough to take down the best agents Section 6 has to offer.”